Government regulation of day care centers and pre-schools require that all entry doors to rooms occupied by children attending these facilities be locked open. The spaces affected include, but not limited to: sleeping/nap rooms, restrooms, classrooms, indoor playrooms, eating areas, etc.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,316,345 to Rivette shows a toy decorative curtain/door that is meant to be put up temporarily between the vertical jambs of a door. It is a flexible curtain and is mounted on a roller so it can be rolled up when not in use. This system would be forbidden by state law for use in day care centers and pre-schools because it covers the entire doorjamb, preventing an adult from observing the occupied room without permanently drawing up the curtain while the room is occupied, defeating the intent of offering some modicum of privacy.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,787,174 to Brown shows a child safety door that has decorative panels which expand to securely engage a door jam. This system would also be forbidden by state law for use in day care and preschools because the door is securely engaged in the door jamb, preventing a child from exiting the room.
Thus, neither the decorative curtain/door of Rivette nor the child safety door of Brown complies with government regulation on entry doors to rooms occupied by children.
Embodiments of the present invention address these and other problems.